No-one! At least, not yet. If you would like to sponsor the newsletter series from April onwards, please let me know. This is a great way to get your message in front of hundreds of VR and AR professionals and decision-makers. Please email [email protected].

Facebook struck a deal with Plessey to supply AR displays. The exclusive story from The Information found that Facebook ‘has struck a deal to buy all of the augmented reality displays made by… Plessey, as the social network looks to build AR glasses capable of overlaying virtual objects onto the real world.’ This is not an acquisition, which would have brought regulatory scrutiny; it is a supply-side exclusive deal, which speeds up the process. 

The story is interesting, but more for its wider themes than Plessey itself. Some headset and glasses manufacturers prefer to control the entire design process and make all the components, such as Vuzix. Other companies prefer to have partnerships with some manufacturers to help build an overall product. There are pros and cons to both approaches. I spoke to WaveOptics late last year, and they hinted that they have similar deals with enterprise and consumer clients. The first generation was to come in late 2020 or early 2021 (pre-COVID-19 prediction). Now? Who knows. 

If your company has a significant move, send me an email and I will add it to the next edition. 

This can be you! Want to be seen in front of the VR and AR community? Contact me today, and we can talk through how I can best help you. Please email [email protected].

Let’s talk about Niantic.The company recently acquired 6D.ai, a company developing tech that can rapidly scan the 3D enviroment around them. Super useful if you want a Bulbasaur to jump on your sleeping roomate. 

Yes, Niantic is rolling back on outdoor activities for… obvious reasons, but the long-term trajectory is clear. Niantic wants to maintain its lucrative partnerships and provide immersive mobile experiences. The acquisition falls in line with the improvement of its AR capabilities. You may have heard about the AR Cloud, a shared layer of reality where people can share spacially relevant information. It’s not just mapping tech that wants the capabilities, but Niantic as well.

Want hundreds of viable candidates to see your job opening? Contact me today, and I will add it to this section. Please email [email protected].

Animal Crossing has taken over my life. I didn’t expect to care so much about a muscle-loving baboon, or a racoon running a holiday package, but here we are. My next step is that I want my garden to look just right. 

The game makes me think about gameplay design. There isn’t an overall goal in Animal Crossing; the joy comes from your characters interactions with other animals on the island, or meeting new ones. Sometimes a goal doesn’t need to be a number of points, or a level reached. Sometimes it can be seeing the happiness of an islander when you give her a table. Or, in my case, a tarantula. 

The post IMMERSIVE WIRE – WEEKLY VIRTUAL PERCEPTIONS NEWSLETTER – 01.04.2020 appeared first on Virtual Perceptions.